


Second time's a charm

by lady_godiva



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, I don't even know guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 23:10:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14903960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_godiva/pseuds/lady_godiva
Summary: Tony gets hit by a mysterious gas. Will Steve be able to save him?*This is my first work and I'm terrible at summaries.Concrit very welcome.





	1. What's that gas?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'd appreciate any feedback whatsoever. I have no idea how long it's going to be and it's a work in progress. Thanks!

This was the first time they’d fought together since the mission before their little spat. Tony had overheard jokes that it had been “a lovers’ quarrel gone awry”. Fuckers. What did they know? So what if he had some unresolved feelings, and who cared if some of those feelings kept him up at night …  
He shook himself mentally and focussed on the task at hand: disabling a dirty bomb big enough to wipe out the entire eastern seaboard. Meanwhile, Steve stood at his 6, picking off attackers within shield range.  
As the seconds counted down, he began to worry. The wiring was unlike anything he’d seen before. It was a well-meshed combination of various structures all rolled into one. Finally, he could see the wires responsible for relaying information from the timer to the detonator. He cut the one that mattered, and breathed a sigh of relief. For one golden moment, everyone was safe. Then, from a corner of the warehouse (why was it always a warehouse?), they heard the cackling of the mad scientist of the week. 

“You may have destroyed my minions and my bomb, but I have a little surprise for you!” he crowed, doing a weird victory dance, then disappearing through the side entrance.  
Just then, Friday piped up with, “Sir, there is a gas being released from the canister.”  
Steve, damn his superpowered ears, had overheard and stepped closer as they shared a few precious moments of eye contact, while the villain disappeared. Steve relayed the information to the rest of the team, held onto the armour, and within a few minutes they both staggered into the medbay at the tower. They’d been through enough of these situations to know they should go through decontamination as soon as possible, and trusted the rest of the team to finish up. As they made it through decon, Bruce showed up, frantically pulling a shirt on. “What happened, exactly?” he asked through the glass of the medbay. The section he was in was walled off from the quarantine room.  
“Invisible, odourless gas escaped a canister attached to the bomb. We were exposed for approximately 5 seconds. I may have inhaled some of it, and Tony had his faceplate up. He was directly in front of it when it released it’s contents.”  
“Friday, full body scans. Do we know what it is?”  
“Apologies, sir. I have been unable to identify the substance.”  
“OK, pull up the molecular structure, and get me everything you can find that might be helpful.” 

And all throughout this, there Tony sat, wordless, expressionless; his face was slack, and he didn’t seem as alert as he usually did. Steve had a bad feeling about this.  
“You OK?” Steve finally had time to process what had happened and realised that Tony’d been off since they’d gotten the call to assemble. Steve had made the tactical decision to pair himself with Tony, and acting decidedly unlike himself, Tony had executed every instruction he’d been given wordlessly. No snark in sight. They had fought together seamlessly. 

Tony slowly turned his face towards him, and stared. For the first time since they’d reunited, Tony spoke.  
“Out of everyone you could have chosen, why did you have to pick me?” whispered Tony, weary.  
Steve sighed. “I did what I thought was best.”  
“I know you do,” acknowledged Tony. “I know you do.” Then, his eyes glassed over, and he fainted. 

Well, fuck.


	2. It's Captain America!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony wakes up, but something's wrong...

Steve shouted for Bruce, who’d been joined by SHIELD scientists, and was working hard to identify the substance they’d been exposed to. Some of the agents donned hazmat suits to give first Tony, then Steve, a once over, and then they’d stepped back as Steve carried Tony to a bed. He did his best to make the unconscious man as comfortable as possible, gave him one last glance, then walked over to the glass wall to chat with Bruce. Someone stepped in and connected Tony to the machinery around the bed. His vitals were stable and everything seemed OK. 

“Any news?”   
“From your scans, we can confidently say that whatever that substance was, is not presenting itself as life-threatening. It seems to have a tranquilizing effect, but there’s something off about it. It’ll take us some time to figure it out. Don’t worry, Cap. Why don’t you try to get some rest?” 

For the next few hours, Steve lay on his back and alternated watching Bruce and the other scientists work, then turning his head to check over Tony’s vitals. Over the years, he’d learned a thing or two about good and bad numbers. Next thing he knew, he was waking to frantic shouts, loud beeping and way too many bodies in such a small space. He felt groggy and confused, but did his best to figure out what was happening. The beeping stopped, and the bodies started trickling out, leaving only Bruce, and a tired, but awake Tony Stark staring right at him. Something was very, very wrong. 

“No. Fucking. Way.” Tony’s eyes widened, and it looked like he had stopped breathing. “No fucking way! Are you really- How did they- When did this happen?”   
Next thing, he was out of bed, and right in Steve’s face. Steve found himself being prodded and examined closely, and he had no idea how to handle this. It was almost as if …   
“Bruce? What’s happening?” If the words came out muffled, it was only because he had a cheekful of Stark finger.   
“Not sure, Cap. Looks a bit like he’s excited to see you?”   
“Excited?!” Tony practically shrieked. “This is amazing! I mean, I knew it was possible, I had looked through all of Dad’s notes, and I knew that our teams had been picking up some interesting readings, but I didn’t really believe we would ever find him, and oh, wow, I really need to pee, be back in one, maybe two seconds, don’t go anywhere!”   
Before anyone could get a word in edgewise, he was in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, and had frozen. Just as Bruce reached him, he snapped out of it.   
“What the fuck?! Why do I look like I’m geriatric? What’s going on? What the FUCK?!”   
“Tony, TONY. Calm down. Sit down, here. OK. Tony, what year is it?”   
“What the fuck kind of- It’s 2005? Right? Right, Doctor?”   
“Tony. It’s 2017.”


End file.
